The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
The author of this series became fascinated by Merlin, as told in the author’s note, and found that all of his other projects had to wait while he research this mythical (or even perhaps historical) character. This first book is about a time in Merlin’s life that appeared to the author to be an unexplained gap. There was ample written material about Merlin as an infant, and as an adult, which stood as a stark contrast the absence of writings about his later childhood and as a young adult. The story begins with a child that is washed to shore. The child sees a woman wedged in rocks, moaning and miserable. Upon hearing a snarl, he turns to find a wild boar about ready to attack. Realizing that there is no defense readily available, he makes for the hollow of a tree, then stops to go back and rescue the woman. The boy does not know who he is, or who the woman is, but the woman supplies them with names, and a relationship, and the two pass their time living in the village. The boy does not quite believe that this woman is his mother, nor does he believe that the names she has assigned to each are true, but he is unable to pull more information from her. The woman has some odd ways, and the boy starts to show some mystical powers. As villagers, they are outcasts. This book tells the story of a child struggling to control powers he does not understand-the child before he becomes Merlin. This wonderfully written, enchanting book is the beginning book in a series that is worth reading.
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Eragon by Christopher Paolini
This is the first book in the Inheritance Trilogy. This story is about a poor farmer, Eragon, who finds a remarkable blue stone while out hunting to find meat to get his hungry family through winter. The stone was found in an area that many of the locals refused to visit due to the mysteries and dangers that are inherent to the area. Eragon senses that perhaps the stone was made from some sort of magic. It turns out that the stone is not a stone at all, but an egg. From the egg hatches a dragon. The story that ensues has many of the elements familiar to this genre, battles, angry monsters, elves and more. The author began writing this book at sixteen, and published it at nineteen. I wonder if perhaps the author was inspired to write this book because of an apparent dearth of books for young boys. The second and third books in the series, Eldest and Brisinger, are not quite as good, with Brisinger more violent than necessary.
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Rick Riordan Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Lightening Thief The Sea of Monsters The Battle of the Labyrinth The Last Olympian
This series follows a little boy, Percy Jackson, through exotic and fantastic adventures with the gods and goddesses of Olympus. Percy is a half-blood. His mother is mortal, and his father is a god. The stories takes place in the 21st century. These books are a great introduction to ancient mythology that is studied in fourth grade, as readers become familiar with the names and strengths of some of the most often referred to characters in literature.
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Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo
This is a great series for those interested in fantastical happenings, with talking photographs, ghosts, time travel, invisible beings, laboratories manned questionable characters, and many more intriguing happenings. This series is well written, has great character development, and layers events and characters and stories so well that a reader cannot help but become engaged. Charlie Bone has magic in his blood that allows him to go into photographs and pictures and speak with the subjects, thus enabling him to uncover mysteries of the past, and raising questions of the past and questions about people in the present. Children will be able to relate to the characters that are not evil, and will be fascinated by those who are.
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The Indian in the Cupboard (part of a trilogy, also includes The Return of the Indian and the Secret of the Indian) by Lynne Reid Banks
The Indian in the Cupboard is a story about a little boy, Omri, who is given a cupboard for his birthday. It turns out that it is a magic cupboard; when an object is placed inside it will come to life. Omri becomes the caretaker of the tiny person who has come to life in his cupboard, and immediately senses that he must protect this person from those who might take advantage of either the person or the magic cupboard. Omri’s instincts are well placed, but he still learns some valuable life lessons in the process of getting to know the Indian. Omri learns about trust, he learns about respecting people as people regardless of their size or culture, as well as respecting the Indian’s bravery and strength as well as his needs (basic needs of food and shelter, and higher needs of companionship and culture). Omri learns valuable lessons about friendship as he struggles over differences with his friend Patrick. Omri’s sense of responsibility to the Indian is one of maturity and understanding, whereas Patrick’s view is that of a plaything. This remarkable story is one that is difficult to put down. It is rich with imaginative happenings and truth about relationships. Annotation by Mia Morgan.
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Half Magic by Edward Eager also in the series Knight's Castle, Magic by the Lake and The Time Garden
Tells the story of four children who do not travel to the ocean or the lake as other children do in the summer, “because their father is dead and their mother works too hard at the other newspaper-the one that nobody looks at.” The children are watched over by Miss Bick, who does not seem to care for the children, nor they for her. The children’s primary source of amusement comes from the books that they walk to the town library to borrow. One day one of the children finds a magic coin that grants wishes-or half wishes. The children learn that they must wish double to get a whole wish. The children find themselves engaged in situations that rival some of their favorite novels. The story is about how the children use the charm, and then eventually use it up; and then finally decide how to dispense with the coin. In the other books in the series the magic manifests itself in different ways, and brings in other characters and scenes from the children's favorite books. The writing in these books brings me back to a simpler time, when children had time to be children and need to use their imaginations for their entertainment. Annotation by Mia Morgan.
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Olivia Kidney by Ellen Potter (Part of a Series that includes Olivia Kidney and The Exit Academy (Book 2) and
Olivia Kidney and the Secret Beneath the City (Book 3 of the Series)).
The books in this series teeter between fantasy and realistic fiction-though the ghosts and bizarre situations tip the scales slightly more to the fantastic than the realistic. These are not a happy little father daughter stories, these are stories of a family coming to grips with the death of an older brother, a frequently unemployed father, and an absentee mother. The first book in the series takes place all on one day, when 12 year old Olivia loses the keys to her apartment. She spends the afternoon knocking on doors in the building, meeting quirky and sometimes downright rude neighbors, in the process she is coming to grips with the loss of her brother, and helping a friend to discover his own truths as well. The second book in the series follows the Kidney’s to their new apartment. Her father, the building supervisor is frequently being fired from his jobs because he is not very good at it. Once again, they are moving their tired belongings to a new building. This building proves to be quite unusual, in both form (the main walkway through the building is actually a swimming pool) and function (it serves as an exit house for ghosts leaving this world and moving onto the next world). The third book the series continues Olivia’s adventures with other worldly beings and, beings of this world too. Annotation by Mia Morgan.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
On the day of her birth, a slightly fussy Ella is visited by the fairy Lucida who bestows upon the child the gift of obedience. The newborn stops crying immediately, and then spends her childhood doing exactly as she is told. Ella is a child who could be commanded by any one at any time. The gift turns out to be a curse that Ella would do anything to get out of. As soon as she is old enough she sets out to return the gift and the story unfolds as she sets out on her quest.
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
This might be classified as contemporary realistic fiction except for one thing-the protagonist in this story was flattened by a bulletin board that fell in him while he was sleeping one night-he is as flat as a sheet of paper (except on the rare occasion that he is blown up by a bicycle pump and made large again).
Stanley becomes a child hood hero as his flatness gets him into all kinds of adventures, visiting the president, flying to space, finding a genie in a magic lamp or meeting Santa and the Reindeer. Children love the Stanley stories as they imagine themselves sailing through the sky in a rocket ship. Stanley’s parents are a little spacey themselves-in these stories Stanley and his brother are the decision makers in the family.
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holy Black
This five book series tells the story of a family (a mother and three children) who move into an old house owned but no longer lived in, by a quirky aunt. The children stumble upon a world of pixies and goblins and trolls; this world is not the sweet fairy world that most children envision-it is a scary world that threatens the families’ lives. These small books read like a journal or field guide that offers descriptions and possible explanations for the strange creatures and happenings.
The Water Horse written by Dick King-Smith Illustrated by David Parkins
King-Smith has written over thirty books for children, where the protagonist is often a gentle little animal. Adaptation is a common theme in King-Smith’s stories. His characters often endear themselves to the reader, and get themselves out of tricky situations by relying on their ingenuity. In The Water Horse, a child finds an egg, and watches it hatch into a small sea monster, or kelpie. The kelpie quickly outgrows the bathtub in which it was born, and several other nearby pools of water. The kelpie needs to learn how to survive in the wild, and is fortunate to have the guidance of some well meaning children and sympathetic adults. This fantasy has just enough hominess to be believable. In Babe: The Gallant Pig a pig taken at birth from his mother to be given as a prize at a county fair and finds camaraderie with the sheep dogs on the farm where he lives. Babe earns the respect of the other farm animals, because he is respectful of them. Babe becomes one of the best sheep ‘dogs’ on the farm, much to the chagrin the alpha dog, thus earning the respect of the farmer, as well as a place in his heart.
Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia
I do not think that I need to do a synopsis of this classic series-but I would feel personally remiss if I did not include it in my list of favorites/
Rowling and the Harry Potter series
Dark, mystical, scary, and sad. The children who are drawn to this genre will devour this series. Again, this is not a series that needs any further annotations by yours truly, but I feel obligated to put it on my list of favorites.
Roald Dahl is an author to know for his foray into modern fantasy writing. His children’s books often depict children who live in difficult circumstances, such as Charlie, the protagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who lives in poverty, and James, the protagonist of James and the Giant Peach, whose loving parents die, leaving him an orphan in the care of two mean aunts who abuse James and treat him like a slave. But in the end, Dahl’s young characters often find what they have been missing, money, love, happiness. Some of Dahl’s books fall into the fantasy genre, as they are filled with magical happenings, or unusual occurrences, and others fall into the contemporary realistic fiction genre, as the happenings are believable. In most of Dahl’s stories, good wins over evil, as is evident in Fantastic Mr. Fox, where the protagonist, Mr. Fox, feeds his hungry children, and all of the hungry digging animals on the hillside by stealing food from right under the mean and greedy farmer’s noses, and in Danny, Champion of the World, who is able to successfully outrage the mean Mr. Hazell by luring his pheasants from the farm with sleeping pill infused raisins, setting them loose on his fine car, and watching as most fly away.
Kailin's Picks
The Seeing Stone
Published by Scholastic Paperbacks, 2002
Ages 9-12
Themes: Arthurian Legend, Coming of Age
The Seeing Stone is unique take on the Arthurian legend written in the voice of Arthur de Caldicot in the form of diary entries. From the start, the book draws the reader in with a "Cast of Characters" page and a wonderfully illustrated map of the the manor on which Arthur lives. Arthur lives in England/Wales during the Middle Ages and is given a stone through which he can watch another boy named Arthur. Merlin himself presents Arthur with the stone, but remains a mysterious character throughout the book. The Arthur in the stone is the Arthur of legend, but his life strangely parallels young Arthur de Caldicot's own life through such coincidences as both being a foster son and many of the characters having the same or similar appearances in both stone and "real life" . The everyday details of daily life in the Middle in this book are clearly well researched and fun to read and the quotidian Arthur's own coming of age story is poignant and touching. I would absolutely recommend this book to be used alongside a Middle Ages history unit, as I plan on doing. The slight bit of fantasy provided by the parallel between the magical world of the Seeing Stone and that of Arthur's own life creates just enough mystery to string curious readers along. This is the first in a series of three books, so readers might be disappointed by the end to find that their questions will not be answered by the end of this particular book.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Illustrated by Dave McKean)
Published by Harper Collins, 2008
Ages 9-12
Themes: Growing Up, Coming of Age, Facing Fears
Neil Gaiman made his foray into children's literature with Coraline, a book I didn't much care for; it was too dark and too scary, even for me! However, with The Graveyard , Gaiman has created a sweet, somewhat humorous, engaging, and unique story that has its dark moments but none that are not tinged with the author's compassion for the main character and a true consideration for his audience. The story begins with the murder of the protagonist's parents, but we don't see it and it is tastefully rendered. Nobody (Bod) Owens, just a baby at the time, escapes into a graveyard where he is essentially adopted and watched over by Silas and the other characters of the graveyard. The story is definitely an homage of sorts to Rudyard Kipling's A Jungle Book, with Bod learning life lessons and making his way through his own trials and tribulations with the help of the graveyard's inhabitants. In addition to the coming of age thread, there is the suspense throughout the novel of the whereabouts of his parents' murderer, a storyline that ends the novel in a bittersweet manner. There are illustrations peppering the story, but they are not extraordinary. I did not find them distracting, however, and occasionally found them entertaining. Skimming this book is impossible: I've read Gaiman's adult graphic novels and he has a way of storytelling that pulls you in and keeps you reading.
The Folkeeper by Frannie Billingsley
Published by Simon and Schuster in 2003
Ages 8-12
Themes: Coming of Age, Mystery, Legend and Folklore
The Folkkeeper is the story of Corinna, an orphan who is sought after and brought to the estate of Cliffsend by a man named Lord Merton. Prior to her move, her job at her orphanage was to tame the "folk", little monsters who wreak havoc on farmland, cows, milk and the countryside in general if their anger is not fended off by someone like Corinna. She's an odd child: her hair grows significantly every night and she always knows what time it is. While at Cliffsend, she uncovers a number of mysteries, both about its inhabitants, its former inhabitants, and herself. The book is steeped in legend and folklore, particularly that of the Selkie legend, which emerges somewhat unexpectedly towards the end of the novel. The progression of Corinna from independent and guarded to a girl who is more comfortable with who she is and in full control of her own potential and power by the end of the novel is heartwarming and enjoyable to read. Though at times this novel feels a little too rife with legend and folklore, so much so that it seems to distract from the heart of the novel, it's overall a mystical romp through legends I was unfamiliar with. Students will enjoy hearing of folklore that is somewhat new to them and the unfamiliarity will keep them guessing.
Susan's Picks
The Great Good Thing By Roderick Townley Simon & Schuster, New York, 2002 Ages 10-14 In this story, the main character of the book...is the main character of the story! Sylvie is a princess who is the main character of a story book but longs for much more. She discovers that she can become part of the world outside of her book. This book is great as a read-to-me story for children younger than the ages list above, but works on many other levels for advanced readers. The story encourages you to suspend your disbelief, and imagine story characters coming to life, while also offering themes of family, growing up, and the value of reading.
Pleasing the Ghost By Sharon Creech Illustrated by Stacey Schuett Harper Collins, New York, 1996 Ages 8-12 Dennis has recently lost his father and now he is seeing ghosts. Specifically, his Uncle Arvie who has several requests he asks Dennis to fulfill. Although this story takes on heavy themes such as bullying, and loss of a loved one, it is done in an age appropriate manner. The story contains lots of fun language and engaging illustrations.
Punished! By David Lubar Darby Creek Publishing, Plain City, OH, 2006 A young boy named Logan literally runs into a mysterious gentleman at the library. As “Punishment” for running in the library, the mysterious Mr. Wordsworth blows fairy dust on Logan, resulting in the boy only being able to speak in puns. To break this curse and put an end to the relentless groans from everyone he speaks to, Logan must complete three tasks. He must gather oxymorons, anagrams and palindromes. This story offers a fun way to introduce grammar concepts and wordplay. It’s fun to read aloud to a group…especially those who don’t wince at puns!
Elizabeth's Picks
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz. Illustrated by Angela Barrett. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2010. Grades 1-3.
This is the story of Flory, a night fairy, who in the first pages of the book, at the tender age of three months old, has her wings painfully gobbled off by a bat. Without her wings, Flory cannot live the life she was meant to live but instead must figure out a new life. It quickly becomes apparent to her that day life is her only option. She settles down in a birdhouse, in the garden of a “giantess,” and befriends a squirrel and other garden regulars. Filled with interesting information about common garden inhabitants (squirrels eat insects and garbage as well as nuts and seeds), the story does a beautiful job of explaining why humans don’t see fairies (fairies live deep in the woods far from humans). The backbone of the story is Flory’s thoughtful approach to the creatures around her and her gradual realization of what it means to be a friend and belong. Barrett’s color illustrations are vibrant yet soft and convey the sense of magic and beauty one would associate with fairies. This book will appeal to the many fairy fans that inhabit grades 1 – 3 and is a nice beginning chapter book.
Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty. New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt, 2009. Grades K-3.
The story opens with a solitary boy, Jeremy, alone in his room in his apartment gazing down at the neighborhood children in the street. Jeremy has plenty of things, but is clearly lonely and shy of joining the group. Instead, he draws a friend, the monster. At first the monster friend – who comes alive – is great fun and Jeremy enjoys drawing new things for the monster. But eventually the monster becomes demanding and tiresome. Jeremy smartly draws the monster a bus ticket and ships him off. Glad to be free of the monster, and perhaps with a bit more back bone after dealing with a pushy monster, Jeremy takes a chance and engages with the other children. The drawings could almost be done by a child, which adds to the sense that the story could be true. The underlying messages of loneliness and friend making are not dealt with in a pedantic way but come through easily through the pictures and spare text.
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152. Vol. 1. By David Petersen. Fort Lee, N.J. :Archaia Studio: London: Diamond [distributor], 2007. Grades 4-8.
A classic tale of good versus evil told in graphic novel form, this is just one volume amongst many that tell the tales of the Mouse Guard, a group of mice who protect mice as they travel from village to village. The setting is medieval. In this volume, three members of the Guard uncover a traitorous plot while searching for a missing grain merchant mouse. Getting to the bottom of the plot, solving the mystery of who is plotting the takeover of the mouse territories, and finally defending Mouse Guard headquarters against the rebels is accomplished with minimum text and vibrant and descriptive color illustrations. Although the story could be more detailed, it may be a nice fit for reluctant readers. The art is stunning, and the end of the book contains a full glossary of medieval trades and maps of the territories and geography featured in the stories.
Mia R's Picks
Long. Melinda. How I Became a Pirate. New York: Harcourt, 2003.
Grade Level: K-3
Jeremy Jacob and his family go to the beach. While he is building a sandcastle pirates arrive and because he is such a good digger, they take him back to their ship – they have treasure to bury. He loves being a pirate, they do not have to do anything they don’t want to, not take a bath, go to bed. Nor do they brush their teeth, “Maybe that’s why their teeth are green.” Then he finds that they do not tuck anyone into bed or read them a story and when the storm broke Jeremy Jacob decided he did not want to be a pirate anymore. Braid Beard, the head pirate, was worried about the treasure but Jeremy Jacob knew a good place to bury it – his back yard. They made a map so they could find it again and Braid Beard gave Jeremy Jacob a Jolly Roger flag that he could run up if he ever needed them. He would not just yet, he had soccer practice. This is such an energetic story and David Shannon cartoon-style illustrations complement it beautifully. I can just imagine a little boy imagining playing with pirates. Because the pirates repeat phrases that Braid Beard says, it would be a fun book to read aloud.
Viorst, Judith. Just in Case. New York: Artheneum Boos for Young Readers, 2006.
Grade Level: K-3
“Charlie likes to be ready, Just in case” is the refrain of this book. Charlie imagines situations and then prepares for them. Like wearing his rain gear and sitting in an inflatable boat incase his house floods. Or digging a pit in the back yard to trap the lion. He wears his helmet, and has a sleeping bag and parachute so that if a bird picks him up and drops him in the nest he’ll be ready. The day of his birthday he feels sad because he thinks everyone has forgotten and when his friends arrive for a surprise party, for the first time, he isn’t ready! Diana Cain Bluthenthal’s illustrations are simple and fill out more of the story. For example, when he is preparing for rain, he looks after his dog too with a hat and a life preserver. I liked the bizarre things Charlie prepares for, lions, mermaids, and birds carrying him away. I think young children will be reassured by this story.
Ahlberg, Allan. The Pencil. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2008.
Grade Level: K-3
The lonely pencil draws himself a boy (Banjo), a dog (Bruce), a cat (Mildred) and eventually a paintbrush (Kitty), to give everything color. They draw and color everything and have a great time. Then people start complaining – Mrs. about her had; Mr. about his ears etc. So, after much thought, the pencil draws and eraser to help correct the hat and ears etc. But the eraser get excited and ends up rubbing out everything despite the pencil’s efforts to stop him, so the pencil draws another eraser and they rub each other out. The pencil starts again drawing his friends and naming everything including the ants. The illustrations by Bruce Ingman are done in a child-like style. I liked the enthusiasm of the eraser shown in the illustrations with everyone running away, or rubbing out the brick wall that the pencil creates to stop the eraser. The ending, with the moon shining gently on the sleeping house, is soothing after all the creation and destruction that happens during the story.
Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. New York: Harper Collins, 2002.
Grade Level: 5-8
This book tells the story of Coraline and her life in two worlds. Her parents are busy and when they move to a new flat she is lonely and bored and their neighbours do not pronounce her name correctly. Exploring, she finds a door that leads to another world which, at first, seems better than her real world. Her other parents have time to play with her, don’t make meals from recipes, and want to have her around. But their eyes are made from buttons and her other mother does not want her to leave. Ever. Thanks to a lucky stone with a hole in it and lots of courage, Coraline outwits her other mother, finds the souls of three other children, her real parents, and escapes with them all back to the real world. Dave McKean’s black and white illustrations are scary and get more so throughout the book. I like Coraline’s fortitude and the way she tries to reason things out and, of course, her imagination.---Heather's Picks:)---Funke, Cornelia. Dragon Rider translated by Anthea Bell. New York: The Chicken House, Scholastic Inc., 2004. When word gets out in the dragon community that “humans” are on their way most of the dragons decide to hide in their caves and hope for the best. But Firedrake decides to try and find the “Rim of Heaven,” the ancient home of dragons which is located somewhere among the highest mountains in the world (Himalayas.) He set off with a brownie (cat like creature) and along the way they meet a young human orphan named Ben (the Dragon Rider). The story gets a quick start and is packed with adventure and mythical creatures that is sure to grab readers. The third person omniscient narrator allows the reader to see the mythical world through the eyes of the human and the creatures. The thoughtful and kind dragon Firedrake is counterweighted by the ever complaining and doubting Sorrel. And Ben, a stranger in a strange world, gradually begins to feel at home. The book has many strong themes. First, there is the basic quest for a better life for both the dragons and for Ben. The human/dragon cooperation suggests both the importance reaching out across race and culture, and also the responsibility humans have to protect nature. But these morals take a back seat to adventure, as they should. The language is accessible but has a literary ring (“Our strength waxes and wanes with the moon itself”). For adults reading out loud it might seem to veer off course into too many adventures but children more interested in sea serpents, dwarves and of course dragons are likely to overlook this slight untidiness of plot. --Heather Vandermillen
Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl. New York: Talk Miramax Books, Hyperion Books for Children 2001.
Brilliant and cool-headed Artemis Fowl is the 12 year old heir to a once fabulously wealthy but now only reasonably wealthy crime dynasty. Artemis decides to restore the family to their former fabulous state by robbing fairies, leprechauns and sprites of their gold. But he underestimates his quarry when he kidnaps Holly Short, a leprechaun military leader. The book starts with excitement and never loses momentum. Even background info is slipped in without interrupting the flow the of the story. It's full of puzzles that Artemis must use his brains to decipher, such as a hieroglyphic-style fairy language. The language of the book itself is not particularly difficult. The story does contain cultural and historical references that might be a stretch for the age group (Ho Chi Min City, Norman Conquests) but nothing they can't find in Wiki-pedia. The character of Artemis comes off as a criminal Richy Rich or a nerdy James Bond. Like Bond, Artemis has unlimited access to expensive technical gadgets and world travel. His father has been blown up and his mother has gone mad from the loss so Artemis is on his own, save for a butler for life (called Butler) who is a highly skilled body guard and a gourmet cook. Artemis's crime background and cynicism make him a bit of an anti-hero. Adults my find him annoyingly precocious. But throughout the story Artemis exposes his softer side (pushing back tears when his mother does not recognize him) and Artemis is loyal to Butler. Still the appeal of this book rests in the plot and the great details that make the fairy world and Artemis's unusual and autonomous life seem possible. --Heather Vandermillen
Forester, Victoria. The Girl Who Could Fly. New York: Square Books, 2008.
Piper McCloud can fly. While many parents would be trying to figure out how this extraordinary skill could get their daughter into the Ivy League, Piper's very low key and “normal” parents are trying to figure out how they can keep her feet on the ground. So she tries for many years to hide her ability. Until one day the town finds out and she is an instant celebrity. She does not enjoy her fame and neither do her parent. Then to her rescue (it seems) a professor from a special school appears on the scene and offers to take Piper away to a school for gifted children. At first Piper is excited but eventually she learns that the philosophy of the school (named I.N.S.A.N.E.) is all about teaching children to ignore their talents and dreams and instead endeavor to “fit-in”! Piper develops the trust of many of her fellow students and eventually they stage a break. The Girl Who Could Fly is a coming of age story and a square peg story wrapped up in a layer of fantasy with a touch of dystopia. The message -- that we should all be allowed to be ourselves and have the opportunity to soar -- is a bit overstated. The evil Dr. Hellion is a bit of a caricature and Piper's parochial, farmer parents and community are also stereotypes. However, Piper is an attractive character, full of spirit. Children will appreciate how Piper and the other students take their fates into their own hands and plan an escape. Children may also find comfort in the fact that Piper is able to tell her parents that she “is who she is” and though they had hoped for a “normal” child they accept her and her friends for “who they are”. All morals aside, The Girl Who Could Fly is an engaging adventure that will make the reader want to fly too. --Heather VandermillenSusan Shatford's Picks Rupp, Rebecca. The Dragon of Lonely Island. illus. by Wendell Minor. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 1998. Grade Levels: 3-6
This is the story of three children, Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah Emily, who with their mother spend their summer vacation at their interesting great-great aunt Mehitabel’s house. This house is located on a small secluded island off the coast of Maine. While mother is trying to finish writing her latest mystery novel, Mehitabel offers the family the use of her private home and a mysterious key. The children discover what Mehitabel has left for them to find both in the secret locked room and in the island’s cave. The children meet a three-headed dragon, named Fafnyr Goldenwings, on their adventures, but only one head is ever awake. Each time a new head awakens, it shares a different story with the children of its past when it bonded with another child. The dragon’s one body symbolizes the shared family bond that the children have, while each head exhibits a similarity to one of the siblings. One story shows Zachary the importance of sharing, Hannah learns to be patient with her younger siblings, and Sarah Emily learns that she can accomplish anything she chooses. The charming tales of Fafnyr’s past helps the children learn about themselves while also uniting them as a family. The story incorporates three separate stories set in different periods of the dragon’s life. The dragon presented in this story is not your average fire-breathing scary character; instead it is a kind sole who is in need of a friend. In the end, the reader will be pleased to learn that Mehitabel also shares a special bond with Fafnyr.
Scieszka, Jon. Me Oh Maya. illus. by Adam McCauley. New York: Viking, 2003. Grade Levels: 3-5
Sam, Joe, and Fred find themselves in ancient Mayan times. The trio time warped from their present day home in Brooklyn, New York to the year 1,000 A.D in Chichen Itza, Mexico during a basketball game. A special book, “the book”, that Joe’s uncle gave them is the cause of their latest adventure. While in this time, Jun, a local boy, and his mother come to their rescue. In order for them to return to their former time and place they have to find “the book”. Sounds easy but first they must help overthrow the current high priest that underhandedly stole the leadership role from Jun’s mother. This is the 13th book in the Time Warp Trio series. While righting a wrong in the past, the boys still time find time to be silly and outsmart the bad guys, showing that good triumphs over evil. This book exposes the reader to different cultures through food, religion, architecture, calendar, clothing, and an ancient number system. Overall, this book offers the reader a humorous adventure that will engage the reader from the very first page. The simplistic black and white exaggerated illustrations at key moments in the story only add to the humor. The last few pages of the book offer a further explanation of the Mayan calendar and number formation in the same fun style of writing as the book.
Chizuru, Mio. The Pirate and the Princess. illus. by Ayako Nagamori. Los Angeles: Seven Seas, 2007. Grade Levels: 3-6
Noelle, an 11 year old girl and princess of Ladonia Island, finds herself captured and on the enemy’s ship. Noelle’s parents have both been slaughtered and her brother is missing. Left all alone in the bowels of the ship, Noelle pulls out the Zaria Stone Ring that has been in her family’s possession for years and pleads silently for help. Unknowingly, this powerful ring is connected to Yuri, the sixteen year old captain of the legendary pirate ship, Eurastia. In a vision, Yuri sees Noelle’s cry for help and comes to her rescue. Yuri carries her own secrets of her past along with a locket that contains the magical blue Timelight Stone. Noelle finds out that Yuri is from another time along with the ring and Yuri’s stone. While in this time, Yuri is trying to atone for some of the mistakes in her past. Noelle helps Yuri start to overcome the burden that she has been dutifully carrying for many years. With no family to speak of, the two girls combine to defeat the mysterious man that Yuri once knew and form a new home on the Eurastia. Noelle’s discovery and acceptance of Yuri’s past and current good deeds form the trust and redemption needed in their relationship to heal both girls’ emotional wounds. In its original Japanese, the book is called Pirate Girl Yuri. The Japanese anime art does an excellent job of capturing the loneliness and intensity of its characters.Britt Sorensen's Picks Westerfield, Scott. Uglies. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. YA Uglies is the first in a series of science fiction books set in a dystopian future that is reminiscent of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Upon turning sixteen, everyone is given an operation to transform them from “Uglies” into “Pretties”-no exceptions. New Pretties are allowed to spend their time in various leisure activities in New Pretty Town, and Uglies are banned from entering this area until they have undergone the transformative operation. The story’s focus is on Tally, who is almost upon her sixteenth birthday, and eager to become a Pretty so she can join her older friend Peris, who is already enjoying his time in New Pretty Town. When Tally meets Shay, a girl her age who isn’t so excited to become a Pretty. Together they sneak around on hoverboards, spying on those in New Pretty Town and exploring the Rusty Ruins, the remnants of our current human society. Shay runs away to the Smoke in order to avoid being turned into a Pretty, and Tally is sent to look for her. The story turns darker and darker, with brain lesions being revealed as part of the Pretty operation as well as Big Brother –like governmental powers forcing the operation upon those who try to resist. Young adult readers will be drawn in by the combination of action and simple language. The book’s themes of individualism versus conformity to society’s norms are classic issues for teen readers, who will likely continue reading the other books in the series, Pretties, Specials, and Extras.
Gutman, Dan. Jackie and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure. New York: Avon Books, 2000. Grades 4-7.A time travel fantasy, Jackie and Me is one in a series of such books about a boy who is able to time travel with the help of historical baseball cards. When he has to do a report on an important African-American, Joe Stoshack decides to travel to the time of segregation to meet Jackie Robinson. The trip results in his own skin changing color as he gains perspective on the history of breaking the color barrier in baseball as well as the painful reality of racism in daily life. This book may hook reluctant readers, especially boys, because it is a time travel fantasy focused on sports. Because it is a time travel fantasy focused on historical events, readers will learn about history as well. The book does use some offensive language in its efforts to portray the historical period; the author's note adds perspective to the shockingly acceptable racism in Robinson's time. Other books in this series (Shoeless Joe and Me, Honus and Me, etc.) may appeal to young male readers who wouldn't otherwise read more traditional fantasies.Lasky, Kathryn. Guardians of Ga’Hoole: The Capture. New York: Scholastic, 2003.Grades 4-7. Guardians of Ga’Hoole is a multi-book fantasy series written between 2003-2008 by Kathryn Lasky that focuses on the adventures of Soren, a Barn Owl. When he is pushed out of his nest as a baby owl, Soren is captured by evil owls from the St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. The young owls at the academy are subjected to brainwashing (“moon-blinking”) and vampire bats who weaken them by drinking their blood. The academy’s goal is to control all owls by the use of flecks, magnetic particles hidden in owl pellets for which they use the orphaned owls to search. The Guardians of Ga’Hoole contains many of the classic themes of myth and fantasy: orphans or children separated from their parents, the struggle between good and evil, strong friendships as a weapon against the enemy, and an epic journey quest (for the Great Ga'Hoole Tree). The text includes information about owls that is true as well, providing for a lot of non-fiction connections. While these books were popular before, the new movie is sure to peak young readers’ interest in the series, making these books more likely to appeal to fantasy lovers and reluctant readers alike.
Tracy's Picks
Levine, Gail Carson.Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg. New York:Disney Press, 2005.Ages: 8-12When Prilla, the newest fairy (born of a newborn baby’s laugh), arrives in Never Land, every fairy is anxious to discover her talent. The fact that Prilla’s talent is not immediately obvious coupled with her strange behavior (she acts more like a Clumsy than a fairy) makes many fairies, including Prilla herself, wonder if Prilla is incomplete; not even Mother Dove, the wisest creature in Neverland, is certain what Prilla’s talent is. When a terrible hurricane injures Mother Dove and damages her egg (which contains the magic that gives Never Land its magical powers), Prilla is chosen as one of three fairies to embark on a quest to restore the magic to Never Land. Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg is an engaging tale that has characters that are easy to relate to. Prilla is a fairy that does not seem to fit in at first, but her differences prove invaluable in saving Never Land. Klimo, Kate.The Dragon in the Sock Drawer. New York:Random House, 2008.Ages: 8-12Jesse has decided to live with his cousin, Daisy, in Goldmine City while his parents are in Tanzania setting up a children’s clinic. While out on a rock hunting expedition with his cousin and uncle (who is a geologist) on High Peak, Jesse deals with his fear of heights by holding on to a large rock to keep him from being blown off the mountain. After the rock speaks to him, Jesse decides to take it home. He puts the rock into his sock drawer where it hatches into a baby dragon. Jessie and Daisy have now become “Dragon Keepers” and must discover how to care for a ravenously hungry baby dragon and protect it from Dr. St. George, the Dragon Slayer. The Dragon in the Sock Drawer is a very engaging, well-written story of two cousins who have always hoped to find something magical. The story is full of humor and interesting twists which require the cousins to be resourceful in finding out how to take care of a dragon (after an Internet search fails them, they head to the library) and work together to outwit the evil Dr. St. George. Stilton, Geronimo.The Kingdom of Fantasy. New York:Scholastic, 2009.Ages: 8-11Geronimo Stilton, editor of The Rodent’s Gazette (which is Mouse Island’s most popular newspaper), is having a terrible day. Geronimo is glad to be home until the lights go out. He ventures up to the attic to get some candles, trips on his cousin’s roller skate, and then faints. When Geronimo recovers, he finds a mysterious crystal music box at his feet. He opens the music box and finds a golden key. When he looks up from the key, a stairway of golden dust has appeared. Geronimo musters all his courage and climbs up the stairs and finds that they lead to a golden door. He uses the golden key to open the door and his magical journey into the Kingdom of Fantasy begins. Geronimo is lead on a quest to save the Queen of the Fairies through which he encounters witches, pixies, giant scorpions, and many other fantastic creatures. Along with Geronimo’s journey through the six magical kingdoms, The Kingdom of Fantasy contains wonderful illustrations, puzzles, mini-mysteries, and information on legends that relate to the different kingdoms or its creatures that will help entice even the reluctant reader.
Deborah's Picks!
Martin, Ann M. and Godwin, Laura. The Runaway Dolls. Illus. by Brian Selznick. Hyperion Books for Children: NY, 2010. Gr. 3-6.
This is the third in a trilogy (The Meanest Doll in the World, Doll People, and The Runaway Dolls), three enchanting stories about the Doll family who have lived in the same dollhouse in the Palmer household for over one hundred years. Kate Palmer’s doll, Annabelle and Tiffany Funcraft, the doll of Kate’s sister are best friends. In this story while the Palmer family is on vacation, a package arrives that was sent from an old toy store. Annabelle and Tiffany Funcraft become curious about the unexpected package and wonder if it contains Annabelle’s long lost baby sister, Tilly May. They open the package to find that their suspicions are right. Now Annabelle is afraid that the package will be sent back since it is not addressed to the Palmers. She does not want to lose her baby sister again and knows that they must run away together to save her. So their adventure begins. Selznick’s simple gray and white pencil illustrations are humorous and add so much to the story. The book begins with a wordless introduction explaining what really happened to Tilly May. In another later section without a written word for several pages, Selznick’s detailed illustrations take over the telling of the story as the dolls try to cross a river on a log. This is truly a wonderful family fantasy that shows how spirit and bravery will win out and lead to a happy ending.
DiCarmillo, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline Candlewick Press: Somerville, 2009. Gr. 3-5.
This is a story of a china rabbit who lives with a little girl named Abilene Tulane. Abilene was given the rabbit as a gift on her seventh birthday and she loves her china rabbit and he loved being loved. She dresses him each day in a splendid wardrobe and sits him in the window looking down the path from her house, winds up the clock, and tells him that she’ll be home when the little hand is on the three. But one day as they are on a boat trip, he is lost when he is dropped overboard and rescued by a fisherman. So begins the miraculous journey that led Edward to many different places and to develop a number of new friendships as he tries to find his way back to the little girl who loves him.
This is a story of true friendship. The characters are strong and teach children about acceptance and love. It is a story of many emotions, one that will make you laugh and also make you cry. Many children will relate to the story in that most, if not all of them, have had a favorite toy that they would be unhappy to lose.
L’Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle in Time. Square Fish Publishing: New York, 2007. Gr.3-5.
This is a new edition of the 1962 publication. The story begins one dark and stormy night when Meg Murry, her mother, and her younger brother Charles Wallace decide to have a late night snack. When they entered the kitchen, they were surprised by a knock at the door and the arrival of a stranger who asks to sit for awhile. He is off his course but will return to it in a few moments. As if his showing up wasn’t strange enough, he makes a puzzling statement. “There is such a thing as a tesseract.” In math terms, a tesseract is made by combining two cubes. Science fiction and fantasy writers have used it as a suggestion of a fourth dimension or as a means of traveling through space and time. In L’Engle’s story, Meg’s father had been involved in secret government work involving a tesseract and had disappeared while working on the project. L’Engle uses a tesseract (a wrinkle in time), as a means of taking the children to places they couldn’t travel to. They set out along with a classmate, Calvin O’Keefe, and a new acquaintance, Mrs. Whatsit to search for their father who has been kidnapped. There are more new friends, not all human, to be made along the way and evil forces to combat before they can get back safe to Earth. This is a story of the power of love and struggles of good conquering over evil. The whole family will enjoy this story.
Lauren R.'s picks:
Osborne, Mary Pope. Night of the New Magicians. New York: Random House, 2006. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca Target audience: 2nd grade- 4th grade
Night of the new magicians
This modern fantasy is part of the Magic Tree House series, which involves two siblings traveling through time via a magic tree house (a magical librarian from Camelot is the owner of this tree house). In this book, Jack and Annie are sent by Merlin on a quest to discover the secrets of four magicians (scientists) and to protect them from an evil sorcerer at the World Fair of 1889 in France. Since Jack and Annie meet and learn about Alexander Graham Bell, Louis Pasteur, Thomas Edison, and Gustave Eiffel, this book would be excellent to use with students when learning about these scientists. The author's notes included the interesting fact that many people thought the Eiffel Tower was ugly at first. I liked all the details of the setting in France, including the transformation of Jack and Annie's clothes into French clothing from 1889. The detailed setting made the story believable, and the black and white illustrations were also consistent with the time period of the story.
Brown, Felicity. Bella’s Gift. New York: HarperFestival, 2008. Illustrated by Heather Theurer Target audience: 1st- 3rd grade
Bella's gift
This modern fantasy is the first book in a series about heroic, magical horses. In this story, Jillian is a girl who is imprisoned in a castle by an evil lady, Ivenna, and forced to be a servant. The flying horse, Bella, must save Jillian and the other magical creatures imprisoned in the castle. Wolves guard Jillian to keep her prisoner, and the wolves are consistently drawn in the illustrations to look very menacing. The theme of this story is good overcoming evil. Since many girls like horses, the book is especially appealing to young girls. The cover of the book is very attention-getting, and includes glitter in the horse's mane. The setting takes place in the magical land of North of North, and I enjoyed suspending disbelief to escape into the fantasy.
Cooper, Susan. Magician’s Boy. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2005. Illustrated by Serena Riglietti Target audience: 2nd grade- 4th grade
The magician's boy
This modern fantasy is about a boy who works for a magician and is sent on a quest to the Land of Story to find a missing puppet. While on his quest, the boy meets many characters from fairy tales and folklore. He even fights the dragon from Saint George and the Dragon. It was very entertaining and humorous to read about the boy interacting with characters such as the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, the Pied Piper, Pinnochio, Jack in the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood. For example, the boy warns Little Red Riding Hood about the wolf. The illustrations are engaging, and the font is large to assist readers who are just beginning to read chapter books.
The Bog Baby By Jeanne Willis and by Gwen Millward New York: Schwartz and Wade, 2008 Grades Prek-3
This story is about two little girls who said they were going to Annie’s house, but instead they went fishing in a magic pond in Bluebell Wood that only existed in springtime. They end up catching a Bog Baby and take him home in a jam jar. The Bog Baby is round and blue and the size of a frog. They don’t tell mom about the bog baby because they were supposed to be at Annie’s house, not at the pond and they don’t want to get in trouble. But, the Bog Baby ends up sick and they have to tell mom. She’s not mad but kind of sad. You see, she found a Bog Baby too when she was little and lets the girls know that he belongs back in the pond. They never see him again, but the reader does, and the narrator’s daughter finds the magic pond....
Puff the Magic Dragon Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton with paintings by Eric Puybaret New York: Sterling, 2007 PreK-2
The words are the lyrics to the song Puff, the Magic Dragon. If you aren’t familiar with the song, the story is about Puff, the Magic Dragon and Little Jackie Paper. They become friends. But, Jackie Piper grows up and no longer plays with Puff. Puff goes back to his cave until another friend comes to play (you see Jackie Piper as an adult looking around the corner at his daughter playing with Puff). The illustrations makes the story come alive. As I was reading, I was singing. This song, from my childhood, has stayed with me.
Lady in the Water: A Bedtime Story Written by M. Night Shyamalan and Illustrated by Crash McCreery New York: Little Brown and Company, 2006 Grades K-4
The story is about a narf, a “very rare type of sea nymph.” She lives under your pool . Her purpose is to be seen by someone in your house, not just anyone, but this person, once they see her, they will change. For example, if they were shy, they will no longer be shy. But, most importantly, once this somebody sees this elusive nymph, they will do do something important for the world one day. Once seen, the Great Eatlon will take the narf home, where she will be free. But, there are dangers. The scrunt wants to stop her but he can only get her if she’s out of the water. And, she’s out of the water when she gets taken back home. The scrunt has rules. He can not harm her when she’s out of the water to go back home, but sometimes scrunts don’t follow the rules. I sometimes wonder why there are some of us who do amazing things in the world, but not all of us. Is it because they saw a narf?
I appreciated the white space in this book. There is a very small illustration on the left page of the two page spread and the right page has illustrations only, writing only, or both.
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Mia's Picks!
The author of this series became fascinated by Merlin, as told in the author’s note, and found that all of his other projects had to wait while he research this mythical (or even perhaps historical) character. This first book is about a time in Merlin’s life that appeared to the author to be an unexplained gap. There was ample written material about Merlin as an infant, and as an adult, which stood as a stark contrast the absence of writings about his later childhood and as a young adult. The story begins with a child that is washed to shore. The child sees a woman wedged in rocks, moaning and miserable. Upon hearing a snarl, he turns to find a wild boar about ready to attack. Realizing that there is no defense readily available, he makes for the hollow of a tree, then stops to go back and rescue the woman. The boy does not know who he is, or who the woman is, but the woman supplies them with names, and a relationship, and the two pass their time living in the village. The boy does not quite believe that this woman is his mother, nor does he believe that the names she has assigned to each are true, but he is unable to pull more information from her. The woman has some odd ways, and the boy starts to show some mystical powers. As villagers, they are outcasts. This book tells the story of a child struggling to control powers he does not understand-the child before he becomes Merlin. This wonderfully written, enchanting book is the beginning book in a series that is worth reading.
This is the first book in the Inheritance Trilogy. This story is about a poor farmer, Eragon, who finds a remarkable blue stone while out hunting to find meat to get his hungry family through winter. The stone was found in an area that many of the locals refused to visit due to the mysteries and dangers that are inherent to the area. Eragon senses that perhaps the stone was made from some sort of magic. It turns out that the stone is not a stone at all, but an egg. From the egg hatches a dragon. The story that ensues has many of the elements familiar to this genre, battles, angry monsters, elves and more. The author began writing this book at sixteen, and published it at nineteen. I wonder if perhaps the author was inspired to write this book because of an apparent dearth of books for young boys. The second and third books in the series, Eldest and Brisinger, are not quite as good, with Brisinger more violent than necessary.
The Lightening Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian
This series follows a little boy, Percy Jackson, through exotic and fantastic adventures with the gods and goddesses of Olympus. Percy is a half-blood. His mother is mortal, and his father is a god. The stories takes place in the 21st century. These books are a great introduction to ancient mythology that is studied in fourth grade, as readers become familiar with the names and strengths of some of the most often referred to characters in literature.
This is a great series for those interested in fantastical happenings, with talking photographs, ghosts, time travel, invisible beings, laboratories manned questionable characters, and many more intriguing happenings. This series is well written, has great character development, and layers events and characters and stories so well that a reader cannot help but become engaged. Charlie Bone has magic in his blood that allows him to go into photographs and pictures and speak with the subjects, thus enabling him to uncover mysteries of the past, and raising questions of the past and questions about people in the present. Children will be able to relate to the characters that are not evil, and will be fascinated by those who are.
The Indian in the Cupboard is a story about a little boy, Omri, who is given a cupboard for his birthday. It turns out that it is a magic cupboard; when an object is placed inside it will come to life. Omri becomes the caretaker of the tiny person who has come to life in his cupboard, and immediately senses that he must protect this person from those who might take advantage of either the person or the magic cupboard. Omri’s instincts are well placed, but he still learns some valuable life lessons in the process of getting to know the Indian. Omri learns about trust, he learns about respecting people as people regardless of their size or culture, as well as respecting the Indian’s bravery and strength as well as his needs (basic needs of food and shelter, and higher needs of companionship and culture). Omri learns valuable lessons about friendship as he struggles over differences with his friend Patrick. Omri’s sense of responsibility to the Indian is one of maturity and understanding, whereas Patrick’s view is that of a plaything. This remarkable story is one that is difficult to put down. It is rich with imaginative happenings and truth about relationships. Annotation by Mia Morgan.
Tells the story of four children who do not travel to the ocean or the lake as other children do in the summer, “because their father is dead and their mother works too hard at the other newspaper-the one that nobody looks at.” The children are watched over by Miss Bick, who does not seem to care for the children, nor they for her. The children’s primary source of amusement comes from the books that they walk to the town library to borrow. One day one of the children finds a magic coin that grants wishes-or half wishes. The children learn that they must wish double to get a whole wish. The children find themselves engaged in situations that rival some of their favorite novels. The story is about how the children use the charm, and then eventually use it up; and then finally decide how to dispense with the coin. In the other books in the series the magic manifests itself in different ways, and brings in other characters and scenes from the children's favorite books. The writing in these books brings me back to a simpler time, when children had time to be children and need to use their imaginations for their entertainment. Annotation by Mia Morgan.
Olivia Kidney and the Secret Beneath the City (Book 3 of the Series)).
The books in this series teeter between fantasy and realistic fiction-though the ghosts and bizarre situations tip the scales slightly more to the fantastic than the realistic. These are not a happy little father daughter stories, these are stories of a family coming to grips with the death of an older brother, a frequently unemployed father, and an absentee mother. The first book in the series takes place all on one day, when 12 year old Olivia loses the keys to her apartment. She spends the afternoon knocking on doors in the building, meeting quirky and sometimes downright rude neighbors, in the process she is coming to grips with the loss of her brother, and helping a friend to discover his own truths as well. The second book in the series follows the Kidney’s to their new apartment. Her father, the building supervisor is frequently being fired from his jobs because he is not very good at it. Once again, they are moving their tired belongings to a new building. This building proves to be quite unusual, in both form (the main walkway through the building is actually a swimming pool) and function (it serves as an exit house for ghosts leaving this world and moving onto the next world). The third book the series continues Olivia’s adventures with other worldly beings and, beings of this world too. Annotation by Mia Morgan.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
On the day of her birth, a slightly fussy Ella is visited by the fairy Lucida who bestows upon the child the gift of obedience. The newborn stops crying immediately, and then spends her childhood doing exactly as she is told. Ella is a child who could be commanded by any one at any time. The gift turns out to be a curse that Ella would do anything to get out of. As soon as she is old enough she sets out to return the gift and the story unfolds as she sets out on her quest.
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
This might be classified as contemporary realistic fiction except for one thing-the protagonist in this story was flattened by a bulletin board that fell in him while he was sleeping one night-he is as flat as a sheet of paper (except on the rare occasion that he is blown up by a bicycle pump and made large again).
Stanley becomes a child hood hero as his flatness gets him into all kinds of adventures, visiting the president, flying to space, finding a genie in a magic lamp or meeting Santa and the Reindeer. Children love the Stanley stories as they imagine themselves sailing through the sky in a rocket ship. Stanley’s parents are a little spacey themselves-in these stories Stanley and his brother are the decision makers in the family.
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holy Black
This five book series tells the story of a family (a mother and three children) who move into an old house owned but no longer lived in, by a quirky aunt. The children stumble upon a world of pixies and goblins and trolls; this world is not the sweet fairy world that most children envision-it is a scary world that threatens the families’ lives. These small books read like a journal or field guide that offers descriptions and possible explanations for the strange creatures and happenings.
The Water Horse written by Dick King-Smith Illustrated by David Parkins
King-Smith has written over thirty books for children, where the protagonist is often a gentle little animal. Adaptation is a common theme in King-Smith’s stories. His characters often endear themselves to the reader, and get themselves out of tricky situations by relying on their ingenuity. In The Water Horse, a child finds an egg, and watches it hatch into a small sea monster, or kelpie. The kelpie quickly outgrows the bathtub in which it was born, and several other nearby pools of water. The kelpie needs to learn how to survive in the wild, and is fortunate to have the guidance of some well meaning children and sympathetic adults. This fantasy has just enough hominess to be believable. In Babe: The Gallant Pig a pig taken at birth from his mother to be given as a prize at a county fair and finds camaraderie with the sheep dogs on the farm where he lives. Babe earns the respect of the other farm animals, because he is respectful of them. Babe becomes one of the best sheep ‘dogs’ on the farm, much to the chagrin the alpha dog, thus earning the respect of the farmer, as well as a place in his heart.
Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia
I do not think that I need to do a synopsis of this classic series-but I would feel personally remiss if I did not include it in my list of favorites/
Rowling and the Harry Potter series
Dark, mystical, scary, and sad. The children who are drawn to this genre will devour this series. Again, this is not a series that needs any further annotations by yours truly, but I feel obligated to put it on my list of favorites.
Roald Dahl is an author to know for his foray into modern fantasy writing. His children’s books often depict children who live in difficult circumstances, such as Charlie, the protagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who lives in poverty, and James, the protagonist of James and the Giant Peach, whose loving parents die, leaving him an orphan in the care of two mean aunts who abuse James and treat him like a slave. But in the end, Dahl’s young characters often find what they have been missing, money, love, happiness. Some of Dahl’s books fall into the fantasy genre, as they are filled with magical happenings, or unusual occurrences, and others fall into the contemporary realistic fiction genre, as the happenings are believable. In most of Dahl’s stories, good wins over evil, as is evident in Fantastic Mr. Fox, where the protagonist, Mr. Fox, feeds his hungry children, and all of the hungry digging animals on the hillside by stealing food from right under the mean and greedy farmer’s noses, and in Danny, Champion of the World, who is able to successfully outrage the mean Mr. Hazell by luring his pheasants from the farm with sleeping pill infused raisins, setting them loose on his fine car, and watching as most fly away.
Kailin's Picks
The Seeing Stone
Published by Scholastic Paperbacks, 2002
Ages 9-12
Themes: Arthurian Legend, Coming of Age
The Seeing Stone is unique take on the Arthurian legend written in the voice of Arthur de Caldicot in the form of diary entries. From the start, the book draws the reader in with a "Cast of Characters" page and a wonderfully illustrated map of the the manor on which Arthur lives. Arthur lives in England/Wales during the Middle Ages and is given a stone through which he can watch another boy named Arthur. Merlin himself presents Arthur with the stone, but remains a mysterious character throughout the book. The Arthur in the stone is the Arthur of legend, but his life strangely parallels young Arthur de Caldicot's own life through such coincidences as both being a foster son and many of the characters having the same or similar appearances in both stone and "real life" . The everyday details of daily life in the Middle in this book are clearly well researched and fun to read and the quotidian Arthur's own coming of age story is poignant and touching. I would absolutely recommend this book to be used alongside a Middle Ages history unit, as I plan on doing. The slight bit of fantasy provided by the parallel between the magical world of the Seeing Stone and that of Arthur's own life creates just enough mystery to string curious readers along. This is the first in a series of three books, so readers might be disappointed by the end to find that their questions will not be answered by the end of this particular book.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Illustrated by Dave McKean)
Published by Harper Collins, 2008
Ages 9-12
Themes: Growing Up, Coming of Age, Facing Fears
Neil Gaiman made his foray into children's literature with Coraline, a book I didn't much care for; it was too dark and too scary, even for me! However, with The Graveyard , Gaiman has created a sweet, somewhat humorous, engaging, and unique story that has its dark moments but none that are not tinged with the author's compassion for the main character and a true consideration for his audience. The story begins with the murder of the protagonist's parents, but we don't see it and it is tastefully rendered. Nobody (Bod) Owens, just a baby at the time, escapes into a graveyard where he is essentially adopted and watched over by Silas and the other characters of the graveyard. The story is definitely an homage of sorts to Rudyard Kipling's A Jungle Book, with Bod learning life lessons and making his way through his own trials and tribulations with the help of the graveyard's inhabitants. In addition to the coming of age thread, there is the suspense throughout the novel of the whereabouts of his parents' murderer, a storyline that ends the novel in a bittersweet manner. There are illustrations peppering the story, but they are not extraordinary. I did not find them distracting, however, and occasionally found them entertaining. Skimming this book is impossible: I've read Gaiman's adult graphic novels and he has a way of storytelling that pulls you in and keeps you reading.
The Folkeeper by Frannie Billingsley
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Ages 8-12
Themes: Coming of Age, Mystery, Legend and Folklore
The Folkkeeper is the story of Corinna, an orphan who is sought after and brought to the estate of Cliffsend by a man named Lord Merton. Prior to her move, her job at her orphanage was to tame the "folk", little monsters who wreak havoc on farmland, cows, milk and the countryside in general if their anger is not fended off by someone like Corinna. She's an odd child: her hair grows significantly every night and she always knows what time it is. While at Cliffsend, she uncovers a number of mysteries, both about its inhabitants, its former inhabitants, and herself. The book is steeped in legend and folklore, particularly that of the Selkie legend, which emerges somewhat unexpectedly towards the end of the novel. The progression of Corinna from independent and guarded to a girl who is more comfortable with who she is and in full control of her own potential and power by the end of the novel is heartwarming and enjoyable to read. Though at times this novel feels a little too rife with legend and folklore, so much so that it seems to distract from the heart of the novel, it's overall a mystical romp through legends I was unfamiliar with. Students will enjoy hearing of folklore that is somewhat new to them and the unfamiliarity will keep them guessing.
Susan's Picks
The Great Good Thing
By Roderick Townley
Simon & Schuster, New York, 2002
Ages 10-14
In this story, the main character of the book...is the main character of the story! Sylvie is a princess who is the main character of a story book but longs for much more. She discovers that she can become part of the world outside of her book. This book is great as a read-to-me story for children younger than the ages list above, but works on many other levels for advanced readers. The story encourages you to suspend your disbelief, and imagine story characters coming to life, while also offering themes of family, growing up, and the value of reading.
Pleasing the Ghost
By Sharon Creech
Illustrated by Stacey Schuett
Harper Collins, New York, 1996
Ages 8-12
Dennis has recently lost his father and now he is seeing ghosts. Specifically, his Uncle Arvie who has several requests he asks Dennis to fulfill. Although this story takes on heavy themes such as bullying, and loss of a loved one, it is done in an age appropriate manner. The story contains lots of fun language and engaging illustrations.
Punished!
By David Lubar
Darby Creek Publishing, Plain City, OH, 2006
A young boy named Logan literally runs into a mysterious gentleman at the library. As “Punishment” for running in the library, the mysterious Mr. Wordsworth blows fairy dust on Logan, resulting in the boy only being able to speak in puns. To break this curse and put an end to the relentless groans from everyone he speaks to, Logan must complete three tasks. He must gather oxymorons, anagrams and palindromes. This story offers a fun way to introduce grammar concepts and wordplay. It’s fun to read aloud to a group…especially those who don’t wince at puns!
Elizabeth's Picks
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz. Illustrated by Angela Barrett. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2010. Grades 1-3.
This is the story of Flory, a night fairy, who in the first pages of the book, at the tender age of three months old, has her wings painfully gobbled off by a bat. Without her wings, Flory cannot live the life she was meant to live but instead must figure out a new life. It quickly becomes apparent to her that day life is her only option. She settles down in a birdhouse, in the garden of a “giantess,” and befriends a squirrel and other garden regulars. Filled with interesting information about common garden inhabitants (squirrels eat insects and garbage as well as nuts and seeds), the story does a beautiful job of explaining why humans don’t see fairies (fairies live deep in the woods far from humans). The backbone of the story is Flory’s thoughtful approach to the creatures around her and her gradual realization of what it means to be a friend and belong. Barrett’s color illustrations are vibrant yet soft and convey the sense of magic and beauty one would associate with fairies. This book will appeal to the many fairy fans that inhabit grades 1 – 3 and is a nice beginning chapter book.
Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty. New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt, 2009. Grades K-3.
The story opens with a solitary boy, Jeremy, alone in his room in his apartment gazing down at the neighborhood children in the street. Jeremy has plenty of things, but is clearly lonely and shy of joining the group. Instead, he draws a friend, the monster. At first the monster friend – who comes alive – is great fun and Jeremy enjoys drawing new things for the monster. But eventually the monster becomes demanding and tiresome. Jeremy smartly draws the monster a bus ticket and ships him off. Glad to be free of the monster, and perhaps with a bit more back bone after dealing with a pushy monster, Jeremy takes a chance and engages with the other children. The drawings could almost be done by a child, which adds to the sense that the story could be true. The underlying messages of loneliness and friend making are not dealt with in a pedantic way but come through easily through the pictures and spare text.
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152. Vol. 1. By David Petersen. Fort Lee, N.J. :Archaia Studio: London: Diamond [distributor], 2007. Grades 4-8.
A classic tale of good versus evil told in graphic novel form, this is just one volume amongst many that tell the tales of the Mouse Guard, a group of mice who protect mice as they travel from village to village. The setting is medieval. In this volume, three members of the Guard uncover a traitorous plot while searching for a missing grain merchant mouse. Getting to the bottom of the plot, solving the mystery of who is plotting the takeover of the mouse territories, and finally defending Mouse Guard headquarters against the rebels is accomplished with minimum text and vibrant and descriptive color illustrations. Although the story could be more detailed, it may be a nice fit for reluctant readers. The art is stunning, and the end of the book contains a full glossary of medieval trades and maps of the territories and geography featured in the stories.
Mia R's Picks
Long. Melinda. How I Became a Pirate. New York: Harcourt, 2003.
Grade Level: K-3Jeremy Jacob and his family go to the beach. While he is building a sandcastle pirates arrive and because he is such a good digger, they take him back to their ship – they have treasure to bury. He loves being a pirate, they do not have to do anything they don’t want to, not take a bath, go to bed. Nor do they brush their teeth, “Maybe that’s why their teeth are green.” Then he finds that they do not tuck anyone into bed or read them a story and when the storm broke Jeremy Jacob decided he did not want to be a pirate anymore. Braid Beard, the head pirate, was worried about the treasure but Jeremy Jacob knew a good place to bury it – his back yard. They made a map so they could find it again and Braid Beard gave Jeremy Jacob a Jolly Roger flag that he could run up if he ever needed them. He would not just yet, he had soccer practice. This is such an energetic story and David Shannon cartoon-style illustrations complement it beautifully. I can just imagine a little boy imagining playing with pirates. Because the pirates repeat phrases that Braid Beard says, it would be a fun book to read aloud.
Viorst, Judith. Just in Case. New York: Artheneum Boos for Young Readers, 2006.
Grade Level: K-3“Charlie likes to be ready, Just in case” is the refrain of this book. Charlie imagines situations and then prepares for them. Like wearing his rain gear and sitting in an inflatable boat incase his house floods. Or digging a pit in the back yard to trap the lion. He wears his helmet, and has a sleeping bag and parachute so that if a bird picks him up and drops him in the nest he’ll be ready. The day of his birthday he feels sad because he thinks everyone has forgotten and when his friends arrive for a surprise party, for the first time, he isn’t ready! Diana Cain Bluthenthal’s illustrations are simple and fill out more of the story. For example, when he is preparing for rain, he looks after his dog too with a hat and a life preserver. I liked the bizarre things Charlie prepares for, lions, mermaids, and birds carrying him away. I think young children will be reassured by this story.
Ahlberg, Allan. The Pencil. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2008.
Grade Level: K-3The lonely pencil draws himself a boy (Banjo), a dog (Bruce), a cat (Mildred) and eventually a paintbrush (Kitty), to give everything color. They draw and color everything and have a great time. Then people start complaining – Mrs. about her had; Mr. about his ears etc. So, after much thought, the pencil draws and eraser to help correct the hat and ears etc. But the eraser get excited and ends up rubbing out everything despite the pencil’s efforts to stop him, so the pencil draws another eraser and they rub each other out. The pencil starts again drawing his friends and naming everything including the ants. The illustrations by Bruce Ingman are done in a child-like style. I liked the enthusiasm of the eraser shown in the illustrations with everyone running away, or rubbing out the brick wall that the pencil creates to stop the eraser. The ending, with the moon shining gently on the sleeping house, is soothing after all the creation and destruction that happens during the story.
Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. New York: Harper Collins, 2002.
Grade Level: 5-8This book tells the story of Coraline and her life in two worlds. Her parents are busy and when they move to a new flat she is lonely and bored and their neighbours do not pronounce her name correctly. Exploring, she finds a door that leads to another world which, at first, seems better than her real world. Her other parents have time to play with her, don’t make meals from recipes, and want to have her around. But their eyes are made from buttons and her other mother does not want her to leave. Ever. Thanks to a lucky stone with a hole in it and lots of courage, Coraline outwits her other mother, finds the souls of three other children, her real parents, and escapes with them all back to the real world. Dave McKean’s black and white illustrations are scary and get more so throughout the book. I like Coraline’s fortitude and the way she tries to reason things out and, of course, her imagination.---Heather's Picks:)---Funke, Cornelia. Dragon Rider translated by Anthea Bell. New York: The Chicken House, Scholastic Inc., 2004.
Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl. New York: Talk Miramax Books, Hyperion Books for Children 2001.
Forester, Victoria. The Girl Who Could Fly. New York: Square Books, 2008.
Rupp, Rebecca. The Dragon of Lonely Island. illus. by Wendell Minor. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 1998. Grade Levels: 3-6
This is the story of three children, Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah Emily, who with their mother spend their summer vacation at their interesting great-great aunt Mehitabel’s house. This house is located on a small secluded island off the coast of Maine. While mother is trying to finish writing her latest mystery novel, Mehitabel offers the family the use of her private home and a mysterious key. The children discover what Mehitabel has left for them to find both in the secret locked room and in the island’s cave. The children meet a three-headed dragon, named Fafnyr Goldenwings, on their adventures, but only one head is ever awake. Each time a new head awakens, it shares a different story with the children of its past when it bonded with another child. The dragon’s one body symbolizes the shared family bond that the children have, while each head exhibits a similarity to one of the siblings. One story shows Zachary the importance of sharing, Hannah learns to be patient with her younger siblings, and Sarah Emily learns that she can accomplish anything she chooses. The charming tales of Fafnyr’s past helps the children learn about themselves while also uniting them as a family. The story incorporates three separate stories set in different periods of the dragon’s life. The dragon presented in this story is not your average fire-breathing scary character; instead it is a kind sole who is in need of a friend. In the end, the reader will be pleased to learn that Mehitabel also shares a special bond with Fafnyr.
Scieszka, Jon. Me Oh Maya. illus. by Adam McCauley. New York: Viking, 2003. Grade Levels: 3-5
Sam, Joe, and Fred find themselves in ancient Mayan times. The trio time warped from their present day home in Brooklyn, New York to the year 1,000 A.D in Chichen Itza, Mexico during a basketball game. A special book, “the book”, that Joe’s uncle gave them is the cause of their latest adventure. While in this time, Jun, a local boy, and his mother come to their rescue. In order for them to return to their former time and place they have to find “the book”. Sounds easy but first they must help overthrow the current high priest that underhandedly stole the leadership role from Jun’s mother. This is the 13th book in the Time Warp Trio series. While righting a wrong in the past, the boys still time find time to be silly and outsmart the bad guys, showing that good triumphs over evil. This book exposes the reader to different cultures through food, religion, architecture, calendar, clothing, and an ancient number system. Overall, this book offers the reader a humorous adventure that will engage the reader from the very first page. The simplistic black and white exaggerated illustrations at key moments in the story only add to the humor. The last few pages of the book offer a further explanation of the Mayan calendar and number formation in the same fun style of writing as the book.
Chizuru, Mio. The Pirate and the Princess. illus. by Ayako Nagamori. Los Angeles: Seven Seas, 2007. Grade Levels: 3-6
Noelle, an 11 year old girl and princess of Ladonia Island, finds herself captured and on the enemy’s ship. Noelle’s parents have both been slaughtered and her brother is missing. Left all alone in the bowels of the ship, Noelle pulls out the Zaria Stone Ring that has been in her family’s possession for years and pleads silently for help. Unknowingly, this powerful ring is connected to Yuri, the sixteen year old captain of the legendary pirate ship, Eurastia. In a vision, Yuri sees Noelle’s cry for help and comes to her rescue. Yuri carries her own secrets of her past along with a locket that contains the magical blue Timelight Stone. Noelle finds out that Yuri is from another time along with the ring and Yuri’s stone. While in this time, Yuri is trying to atone for some of the mistakes in her past. Noelle helps Yuri start to overcome the burden that she has been dutifully carrying for many years. With no family to speak of, the two girls combine to defeat the mysterious man that Yuri once knew and form a new home on the Eurastia. Noelle’s discovery and acceptance of Yuri’s past and current good deeds form the trust and redemption needed in their relationship to heal both girls’ emotional wounds. In its original Japanese, the book is called Pirate Girl Yuri. The Japanese anime art does an excellent job of capturing the loneliness and intensity of its characters.Britt Sorensen's Picks
Uglies is the first in a series of science fiction books set in a dystopian future that is reminiscent of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Upon turning sixteen, everyone is given an operation to transform them from “Uglies” into “Pretties”-no exceptions. New Pretties are allowed to spend their time in various leisure activities in New Pretty Town, and Uglies are banned from entering this area until they have undergone the transformative operation. The story’s focus is on Tally, who is almost upon her sixteenth birthday, and eager to become a Pretty so she can join her older friend Peris, who is already enjoying his time in New Pretty Town. When Tally meets Shay, a girl her age who isn’t so excited to become a Pretty. Together they sneak around on hoverboards, spying on those in New Pretty Town and exploring the Rusty Ruins, the remnants of our current human society. Shay runs away to the Smoke in order to avoid being turned into a Pretty, and Tally is sent to look for her. The story turns darker and darker, with brain lesions being revealed as part of the Pretty operation as well as Big Brother –like governmental powers forcing the operation upon those who try to resist. Young adult readers will be drawn in by the combination of action and simple language. The book’s themes of individualism versus conformity to society’s norms are classic issues for teen readers, who will likely continue reading the other books in the series, Pretties, Specials, and Extras.
Guardians of Ga’Hoole is a multi-book fantasy series written between 2003-2008 by Kathryn Lasky that focuses on the adventures of Soren, a Barn Owl. When he is pushed out of his nest as a baby owl, Soren is captured by evil owls from the St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. The young owls at the academy are subjected to brainwashing (“moon-blinking”) and vampire bats who weaken them by drinking their blood. The academy’s goal is to control all owls by the use of flecks, magnetic particles hidden in owl pellets for which they use the orphaned owls to search. The Guardians of Ga’Hoole contains many of the classic themes of myth and fantasy: orphans or children separated from their parents, the struggle between good and evil, strong friendships as a weapon against the enemy, and an epic journey quest (for the Great Ga'Hoole Tree). The text includes information about owls that is true as well, providing for a lot of non-fiction connections. While these books were popular before, the new movie is sure to peak young readers’ interest in the series, making these books more likely to appeal to fantasy lovers and reluctant readers alike.
Tracy's Picks
Deborah's Picks!
This is the third in a trilogy (The Meanest Doll in the World, Doll People, and The Runaway Dolls), three enchanting stories about the Doll family who have lived in the same dollhouse in the Palmer household for over one hundred years. Kate Palmer’s doll, Annabelle and Tiffany Funcraft, the doll of Kate’s sister are best friends. In this story while the Palmer family is on vacation, a package arrives that was sent from an old toy store. Annabelle and Tiffany Funcraft become curious about the unexpected package and wonder if it contains Annabelle’s long lost baby sister, Tilly May. They open the package to find that their suspicions are right. Now Annabelle is afraid that the package will be sent back since it is not addressed to the Palmers. She does not want to lose her baby sister again and knows that they must run away together to save her. So their adventure begins. Selznick’s simple gray and white pencil illustrations are humorous and add so much to the story. The book begins with a wordless introduction explaining what really happened to Tilly May. In another later section without a written word for several pages, Selznick’s detailed illustrations take over the telling of the story as the dolls try to cross a river on a log. This is truly a wonderful family fantasy that shows how spirit and bravery will win out and lead to a happy ending.
This is a story of a china rabbit who lives with a little girl named Abilene Tulane. Abilene was given the rabbit as a gift on her seventh birthday and she loves her china rabbit and he loved being loved. She dresses him each day in a splendid wardrobe and sits him in the window looking down the path from her house, winds up the clock, and tells him that she’ll be home when the little hand is on the three. But one day as they are on a boat trip, he is lost when he is dropped overboard and rescued by a fisherman. So begins the miraculous journey that led Edward to many different places and to develop a number of new friendships as he tries to find his way back to the little girl who loves him.
This is a story of true friendship. The characters are strong and teach children about acceptance and love. It is a story of many emotions, one that will make you laugh and also make you cry. Many children will relate to the story in that most, if not all of them, have had a favorite toy that they would be unhappy to lose.
This is a new edition of the 1962 publication. The story begins one dark and stormy night when Meg Murry, her mother, and her younger brother Charles Wallace decide to have a late night snack. When they entered the kitchen, they were surprised by a knock at the door and the arrival of a stranger who asks to sit for awhile. He is off his course but will return to it in a few moments. As if his showing up wasn’t strange enough, he makes a puzzling statement. “There is such a thing as a tesseract.” In math terms, a tesseract is made by combining two cubes. Science fiction and fantasy writers have used it as a suggestion of a fourth dimension or as a means of traveling through space and time. In L’Engle’s story, Meg’s father had been involved in secret government work involving a tesseract and had disappeared while working on the project. L’Engle uses a tesseract (a wrinkle in time), as a means of taking the children to places they couldn’t travel to. They set out along with a classmate, Calvin O’Keefe, and a new acquaintance, Mrs. Whatsit to search for their father who has been kidnapped. There are more new friends, not all human, to be made along the way and evil forces to combat before they can get back safe to Earth. This is a story of the power of love and struggles of good conquering over evil. The whole family will enjoy this story.
Lauren R.'s picks:
Osborne, Mary Pope. Night of the New Magicians. New York: Random House, 2006.
Illustrated by Sal Murdocca Target audience: 2nd grade- 4th grade
This modern fantasy is part of the Magic Tree House series, which involves two siblings traveling through time via a magic tree house (a magical librarian from Camelot is the owner of this tree house). In this book, Jack and Annie are sent by Merlin on a quest to discover the secrets of four magicians (scientists) and to protect them from an evil sorcerer at the World Fair of 1889 in France. Since Jack and Annie meet and learn about Alexander Graham Bell, Louis Pasteur, Thomas Edison, and Gustave Eiffel, this book would be excellent to use with students when learning about these scientists. The author's notes included the interesting fact that many people thought the Eiffel Tower was ugly at first. I liked all the details of the setting in France, including the transformation of Jack and Annie's clothes into French clothing from 1889. The detailed setting made the story believable, and the black and white illustrations were also consistent with the time period of the story.
Brown, Felicity. Bella’s Gift. New York: HarperFestival, 2008.
Illustrated by Heather Theurer Target audience: 1st- 3rd grade
This modern fantasy is the first book in a series about heroic, magical horses. In this story, Jillian is a girl who is imprisoned in a castle by an evil lady, Ivenna, and forced to be a servant. The flying horse, Bella, must save Jillian and the other magical creatures imprisoned in the castle. Wolves guard Jillian to keep her prisoner, and the wolves are consistently drawn in the illustrations to look very menacing. The theme of this story is good overcoming evil. Since many girls like horses, the book is especially appealing to young girls. The cover of the book is very attention-getting, and includes glitter in the horse's mane. The setting takes place in the magical land of North of North, and I enjoyed suspending disbelief to escape into the fantasy.
Cooper, Susan. Magician’s Boy. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2005.
Illustrated by Serena Riglietti Target audience: 2nd grade- 4th grade
This modern fantasy is about a boy who works for a magician and is sent on a quest to the Land of Story to find a missing puppet. While on his quest, the boy meets many characters from fairy tales and folklore. He even fights the dragon from Saint George and the Dragon. It was very entertaining and humorous to read about the boy interacting with characters such as the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, the Pied Piper, Pinnochio, Jack in the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood. For example, the boy warns Little Red Riding Hood about the wolf. The illustrations are engaging, and the font is large to assist readers who are just beginning to read chapter books.
The Bog Baby
By Jeanne Willis and by Gwen Millward
New York: Schwartz and Wade, 2008
Grades Prek-3
This story is about two little girls who said they were going to Annie’s house, but instead they went fishing in a magic pond in Bluebell Wood that only existed in springtime. They end up catching a Bog Baby and take him home in a jam jar. The Bog Baby is round and blue and the size of a frog. They don’t tell mom about the bog baby because they were supposed to be at Annie’s house, not at the pond and they don’t want to get in trouble. But, the Bog Baby ends up sick and they have to tell mom. She’s not mad but kind of sad. You see, she found a Bog Baby too when she was little and lets the girls know that he belongs back in the pond. They never see him again, but the reader does, and the narrator’s daughter finds the magic pond....
Puff the Magic Dragon
Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton with paintings by Eric Puybaret
New York: Sterling, 2007
PreK-2
The words are the lyrics to the song Puff, the Magic Dragon. If you aren’t familiar with the song, the story is about Puff, the Magic Dragon and Little Jackie Paper. They become friends. But, Jackie Piper grows up and no longer plays with Puff. Puff goes back to his cave until another friend comes to play (you see Jackie Piper as an adult looking around the corner at his daughter playing with Puff). The illustrations makes the story come alive. As I was reading, I was singing. This song, from my childhood, has stayed with me.
Lady in the Water: A Bedtime Story
Written by M. Night Shyamalan and Illustrated by Crash McCreery
New York: Little Brown and Company, 2006
Grades K-4
The story is about a narf, a “very rare type of sea nymph.” She lives under your pool . Her purpose is to be seen by someone in your house, not just anyone, but this person, once they see her, they will change. For example, if they were shy, they will no longer be shy. But, most importantly, once this somebody sees this elusive nymph, they will do do something important for the world one day. Once seen, the Great Eatlon will take the narf home, where she will be free. But, there are dangers. The scrunt wants to stop her but he can only get her if she’s out of the water. And, she’s out of the water when she gets taken back home. The scrunt has rules. He can not harm her when she’s out of the water to go back home, but sometimes scrunts don’t follow the rules. I sometimes wonder why there are some of us who do amazing things in the world, but not all of us. Is it because they saw a narf?
I appreciated the white space in this book. There is a very small illustration on the left page of the two page spread and the right page has illustrations only, writing only, or both.